When Jim Dierbert has a passion for something, he acts quickly and decisively. Just ask his wife, Mary, to whom he proposed on their first date! It was love at first sight, yet again, when they laid eyes on the Star Lane Ranch, now planted to some 230 acres of vines. "We had looked around Napa and Bordeaux for a property early on," Jim recalls. But Napa and the Old World were getting a little crowded. "We wanted open space and big sky." They found it!
Deerfield is a winery where you're encouraged to sit and enjoy your wine. You're not crowded around a tasting bar, fighting for space and attention in order to sip your wine. Instead, the tasting takes place in a cave, with tables and chairs everywhere - encouraging everyone to have a seat, enjoy their wine and the sommeliers will be around to pour the wine.
Mat Gustafson, the former winemaker at Sebastopol-Dutton Estate Winery and current co-winemaker at Moshin Vineyards, crafts small lots of Pinot Noir and other varietals from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast under his personal label. Prior to starting his own label, he had worked for twenty years in the restaurant business and in retail sales. Along with business partner, Paul Sloan, he launched the label in 1999, but by 2001 had assumed full control and began to concentrate on Pinot Noir.
Novy Cellars is owned by Adam & Dianna Lee (of Siduri Wines) and Dianna’s family (her parents, Adolph & Rose Marie Novy, and her brothers and sisters-in-law, David & Angela, Bryan & Kathy, and Steven & Marie Novy).
The winery itself has a ton of history and is one of the longest standing wineries in the area. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Our tour consisted of a drive around the property by our guide, Ben, a tour of the wine caves and finally trying the wine itself! Views are gorgeous all the way from Oakland, Sonoma, SF.
Beautiful vineyard and land. Frey produces organic and biodynamic wines- and is the oldest organic winery in the country. The Frey family, 10 out of 12 children run the vineyard and live on the 90 acres. The wine was tasty. I haven't had a lot of organic wines but I liked the organic Zin and biodynamic Petite Syrah.
This place was recommended by the tasting room where we were unable to have a picnic. I was so very glad that I had discovered it!! Tasting fee is $8. The wines were really good. The pourer was very friendly and knowledgeable. The tasting room was cozy and inviting with some olive oil and Meyer lemon marmalade samples. This place is also like an art gallery inside out. The picnic area in the fenced garden setting was very comfortable and we also enjoyed many interesting looking art objects. We were informed that this place is the first one of the series of wineries in the area
Some of the best pinots you will ever taste. It's not a huge winery but it definitely is about quality over quantity.
Whitehall makes some great wine! We were surprised by the mostly empty parking lot and even considered turning away before entering. Did an empty parking lot mean bad wine? Everything we sampled, from white to red was great. Easy drinking and definitely well priced. Come summer time it can be very busy at times. Well worth a visit.
Stewart Cellars was founded in 2000 by Michael and Anne Stewart of Houston, Texas. Michael founded Texas MicroSystems which he left in 1999 after merging the company with the Radisys Corporation. In 2000, the Stewarts bought a majority interest in Juliana Vineyards, a 3,400-acre property in the Pope Valley area of the Napa Valley. The winery focuses on Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.
